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Love is a choice

Love is a feeling, a behaviour, a choice.

Love is a feeling. It might also be an attitude, a smile, a behaviour. It took me a long time to realise that love is also a choice.

Sometimes in relationships we have to make a choice to continue to love someone. Relationships have ups and downs, good times and not so good. And sometimes it is great to be together, and sometimes it is great to be apart! Sometimes it is easier to walk away than to stay and keep loving. Sometimes the behaviour, words or actions of the other person can make loving them difficult. But we have a choice – to love or not. And in loving another person, we may need to make that choice to love them and to continue to love them again, and again, and again, and again.

At the end of the day, and at the beginning of the day, and throughout the day – love is a choice.

In marriage we make a commitment to love and to continue to love. And sometimes that means overlooking the infringements we perceive, and choosing instead to love; choosing to focus on the good things, choosing to believe the best. Love is a choice.

As someone who has struggled with depression and self-esteem issues, I often battle to love myself. It makes sense that I might need to keep reminding myself that loving me is also a choice. An ongoing choice. My choices determine my behaviour. In choosing to love and accept myself, I make decisions to care for my body and mind. So when I sabotage myself I am not choosing to love, and my behaviour reflects that. Love for self is also a choice.

Right now, I choose to love and accept myself, imperfections and all… because love is a feeling, a behaviour, a choice.